1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus provided with a movable recording member for recording on a recording medium by moving serially with respect to the recording medium. More particularly, the invention relates to a recording apparatus provided with plural flexible members, such as electric cables, ink supply tubes, to connect a serially movable member (a single body of a carriage, a recording head mounted on such carriage, or a recording head and/or ink tank (or ink tanks) mounted on such carriage, for example) with the recording apparatus main body.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, there has been the so-called serial type recording apparatus that conveys a recording medium through the recording area where recording is performed by a recording head serving as recording means, thus recording as desired on the surface of the recording medium by use of the recording head, while moving a carriage in the widthwise direction of the recording head to be conveyed. Generally, for this serial type recording apparatus, there is a need for the transmission of electric signals from the control board of the apparatus main body to the recording head mounted on the carriage in order to enable it to operate recording, and the carriage and the control board are electrically connected by use of a cable. When plural recording heads are mounted on the carriage, plural electric cables are needed.
Also, for the serial type recording apparatus described above, there has been rapidly and widely used in recent years an ink jet recording apparatus that records on a recording medium or the like by the adhesion of ink droplets discharged from ink discharge ports provided for the recording med. The ink jet recording head mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus is often of the type that an ink tank is mounted together with the recording head to supply ink to the recording head. In recent years, however, in order to increase the amount of ink that can be supplied from one ink tank, the so-called tube supply type ink jet recording apparatus has been developed, in which an ink tank is mounted on a fixed location of installation on the apparatus main body, instead of mounting it on the carriage, and ink is supplied from such ink tank to the recording head on the carriage by way of a tube or the like. Then, if plural ink jet recording heads are mounted on the carriage, plural ink supply tubes are provided.
For the serial type recording apparatus, the electrical connection cable and ink supply tube are connected with the recording head, ink tank, or the like are once connected with and fixed to the carriage that moves, and then, connected with the recording head, ink tank, or the like, which has been mounted on the carriage or connected directly with the recording head or ink tank mounted on the carriage. Here, the cable or tube is formed by flexible material to make it deformable so as not to impede the movement of the carriage.
However, there are the problems given below for the conventional recording apparatus described above.
The cable or tube connected with the movable carriage or the recording head or ink tank mounted on the carriage has a length that enables the carriage to move within a designated range. Therefore, there occurs bending at least in the process of carriage movement. On the portion thus bent, there occurs the restoring force exerted by the bent that tends to return to be straight. This force is added to the carriage and a load (external force acting upon the carriage) is generated inevitably. Like this, the carriage may be given a load from the electrical connection cable or the tube in some cases.
Also, usually, for the cable or tube, there is a case where it is slightly slackened at least in the process of the carriage movement. Then, there may be encountered a problem that the cable or tube hangs down by its own weight as the time elapses. Particularly, the carriage moves to a designated location to be on standby at the time other than the execution of recording operation, but the cable and tube tend to be deformed by its own weight at that time if the cable and tube are kept for a long time in a state of being slackened. Further, there is a fear that such deformation may remain as the constant deformation. If the cable or ink tube hangs down like this, it is caused to be in contact with the other members in the recording apparatus. Then, there occurs a fear that the cable or tube itself or the member with which it is allowed to be in contact is damaged or that the ink tube is deformed to be twisted resulting in the unstable condition of ink distribution, thus the factors that may result in lowering the reliability of recording operation.
The problems described above are equally encountered in the case where the flexible member, which connects the carriage or a member mounted on the carriage with the apparatus main body, is only the cable or in the case where it is only the tube.
Further, the ink tube that supplies a large amount of ink should be given a careful attention as to any possible ink leakage, and then, a leakage prevention measure should be provided. However, if any ink leakage takes place so as to allow ink to contact with electric parts, such as the control board or electric cable, there is a fear that a serious trouble occurs such as to damage electrical parts. Therefore, it is necessary to structure the apparatus to protect the electric components, including the electrical connection cablel, as much as possible even in an emergency that ink leaks from the ink tube.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus having a plurality of flexible members, such as cables and tubes, for connecting a serially movable recording member (a single body of carriage, a recording head mounted on such carriage, or a recording head and/or ink tank (or ink tanks) mounted on such carriage, among some others, for example) and the recording apparatus main body, in which the influence that may be exerted by the flexible members on the movable member can be reduced with respect to the positional precision of the movable recording member and the movement precision thereof as well.
It is another object of the invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of preventing the flexible member, such as cable or tube, connected with the movable recording member of a serial type recording apparatus from being deformed by its own weight.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of avoiding the contact of ink with electric components even if ink leakage should take place from the ink tube or the circumference thereof, which is connected with the movable recording member of a serial type recording apparatus.
It is a further object of the invention to provide the recording apparatus in which a first flexible member and a second flexible member for connecting a serially movable recording member with the recording apparatus main body are connected with the movable recording member, respectively, from the sides opposite to each other with the movement path of the movable member between them.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide the recording apparatus, which is a serially movable type recording apparatus, having little probability that ink is allowed to flow around to recording means and carriage on the side opposite to the tube connecting portion even if ink leakage should take place therein to make it possible to prevent liquid from being in contact with the cable connecting portion arranged on the opposite side.
It is still another object of the invention to provide the recording apparatus in which a first flexible member and a second flexible member for connecting the movable recording member of the serially movable type recording apparatus and the recording apparatus main body are connected with the movable recording member, respectively, from the sides opposite to each other with the movement path of the movable recording member between them, and the bending shape of the first flexible member and that of the second flexible member are linearly symmetrical to each other with the movement path of the movable recording member between them.